Apparatus for regaining head.



W. M. WHITE.

APPARATUS FOR HEGAINING HEAD.

Patent/ad Jply 23,191s

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APPARATUS foR mamme HEAD.

APPLICATON FILED DEC. 22. 15H3. i Patented J uly 2J, NLS

WILLIAM M. WHITE, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCDNSIN.

APPARATUS FOR REGAINING HEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1918.

Application led December 22, 1913. Serial No. 808.161.

7b all rwhom it may concern:

lie it linown that l, lViLLIAM M. WHITE, a citizen ot' the United States, and resident of Milwaukee` in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for ltegainiiig llead, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for increasing the effective head available on water wheels and has particular reference to a novel construction in which the water diS- charged from a water wheel is caused to move in a helical path` such path gradually becomingr axial with relation t'o the water wheel runner. This apparatus is a modilication of that disclosed in my eti-pending application Serial Nro 774.527.

l'twwill be understood that under certain operating conditions the water will bc discharged from a water wheel runner with a considerable tangential component. Such occasions arise when the wheel is being operated at part. load or when operated at a higher speed than thatl for best etiiciency. The water discharged therefrom would in such cases contain considerable energy in the forni of velocity, this energy being exerted taugentially or singularly with relation to the axis of the wheel. In a straight, Haringr draft tube of the common form this energy is wasted in eddies, cross currents. etc., and is not: made to perform any useful work. ln the cti-pending application referred to l have provided means whereby lauch tangential velocity may be changed into pressure thus` producing an increase of etfective. head available ou the water wheel. The

present apparatus is designed to accomplish such result in a draft tube having much the same, forni as that. which is well linowii, the object being to provide in such a draft tube one or more tguidingr vanos disposed at. an angle to the line of motion of the. water wheel runner in order that. water discharged from the ruimer with angular velocity may pass iiuo the tube or the passages loiiiied by the guiding valles without material change in direction and may expand in said passages as required in order to change tht-.wrelocitzy into pressure.

ItY is further more desirable thaty these defleetingr vanos may have a variable degree of curvature.Y in order that; the energy in the water may be` lf ,fradually changed from angular to axial with reference to the runner without eddies or whirl. This results. in a construction in which the pitch of the vanes increases from the intake to the discharge ends of the tube.

It, may be found desirable to divide the runner vanes with webs thus forming two or more passages between each blade of the runner and, likewise, dividing the draft tube into similar passages by means of one or more -concentric webs located between the helical detiector. By this means there is loss possibility of conflicting currents being Set up in the draft tube, portions of the water ha vini;r different angular velocities being separatei'l at the runner.

In some instances in order to provide a more simple and economical construction .it may be found desirable to'provide in the dra ftv tube a larger number of short deflectiiig vanes, these vanes being set to give a general helical movement to thc discharge water and to thereafter decct the Water down the drafttube in an axial line, the change from helical to axial motion being more abrupt than in the construction just described. lfiirtherinorc the divisions in the water wheel runner and dcflectors may be inade in this type with equal facility and with corresponding advantages accruing therefrom. Y

Furthermore, this point of advantage may be. carried farther and a dcflector placed in the supplying guide vanos, whereby the water is separated prior to entering the water wheel runner. By providing controlling means for each section of the supplying guide vanes as divided by the web referred to, the amount; of water supplied to each portion of the. wheel may be controlled or if desired, the wheel may be 0p erated by water passed through only one portion of the i'nniier. By the provision of separate draft tubes registering'avith separate portions of the water wheel runner and supplied from separate sources, a most exact. control of the water wheel is possible.

The invention, will be more readily linderstood by' reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is :i vertical section through n typical vertical water wheel and draft tube showing,r the helical vanes located in the tube;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, shownfr a inoditcaton wherein the runner is dlv ed by means of a concentric web, the

` I mount a casing 11, carryin a sha t 1.2, on

yai

which is mounted a water w eel 13, of any Iapproved form. Beneath the water wheel is located a tube 14, referabl slightly iiared as well understood.) Provi ed within the tube are a plurality of referably four) defieeting vanes 15, of he ical form, each helix being gradualil distended toward the bottom. Moreover tie pitch of each helix increases from the inlet `to the outlet end thereof, whereby each helical passage is of increasing cross-sectional area and of conse` quent increasing capacity. Thus the water which passes from the water wheel runner with a tangential component is permitted to follow a helical path in its descent of the tube, its helical path being gradually changed into axial flow without shock which would cause eddies therein. It will be understood that the number and disposition of the vanes may be varied as required; also that the angularity thereof will be varied to suit different conditions.

The present invention provides in effectcrease the effective head upon the wheel by creating a lower ressure at the discharge end of the wheel t an would be obtained by a straight draft tube. My experiments show that the head is actually lncreased and I am confirmed in this by Merriman in his Treatise on Hydraulics, edition 1903, on pages 186, 187 and 188. In place of the straight axis regainer which 'as Merriman points out increases the actual head of the water Howing through' the entrance to it which in the resent instance is where the wheel is locat I am providing helically inclined regaining passages, between the vanes 15, so that I may deflect the water coming tangentially from the wheel in a direction axially to the tube Without the eddies and whirls attendant upon the use of the usual straight. draft tube and thus increase the re ainin effect.

eferrmg now' to Fig. 2, it will bc noted that the vanes of the runner are divided by means of a web 16, the lower end of which web is substantially in line with a web 17, dividing the helical vanes of the tube into concentric passages. Thus l have provided two concentric runners and draft tubes In which muy be found different ln'essures und different reaction with t our inlcrh-ring materially with llu: other. This` pursuits. lhrA ends of the helices of the lwo snr-c1 ions lo he. set at different angles to the line ol' motion of the runner.

In Fig. 3 it will be noted that the helices 18, provided in the drul't tuhe have been very much shortened and that :i greater nomY ber is used forming in elhcr, guide vanos which catch the water us it flows from lhc runner with a whirling inolion und change. the whirling or tangential motion lo axial motion within the tube. The runner 19, divided by a. concentric web 20, registering with a concentric web 21, dividing lhe guide vanes into two sections, forming passages registering with passages in the runner. These divisions prevent cross currents and cddies being set up in the runner und guide "canes and erluit difieren! pressure to hc utilized in t 1e runner.

The modifications herein illustrated are only typical of others which may be nnuh. by those skilled in the art and l do not wish to be limited other than by the scope of ny clailnsto the construction herein described.

By water wheel under the present specifi` cation and claims, I mean a water whcrl, hydraulic turbine or any hydraulic power producing apparatus bari-g a runner of such form as to cause -the water lo be discharged from it preferably axiallyl to the rotation of the runner and I mean especially any hydraulic power producing apparatus which may be used with my invention for the accomplishment of the results claimed. One type of a water wheel in the meaning of the specification and claims is illustrated in the drawings.

I claim:

l. In apparatus of the class described. the cmnbination of a draft tube, and a heli- .cal deflecting vane located therein, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a flaring draft tube, and a helical deflecting vane located therein, substantially as described.

3. In apparatus of the class described., the combination of a Ilraft lube, and a plue rality of helical dcfiecting vanos located therein whereby water discharged from a water wheel runner with angular velocity may expand in a helical passage and change its velocity into pressure, substantially as described.

4. In apparatus of theclass described. the combination of a draft tube, and a helical deiicctor located therein, the pitch of said lu'lir. being gradually increased from the inlet to the. end of said. helical deflcctor, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus of the class described the combination of a draft tube and a heiical deficctor located therein, the surfaces of saidA helix at different points in the len th of said deiieclor having different axial (mensions, substantially as described.

6. In water Whe/el construction, the ecmbination of a runner having dividing webs, a draft tube, helical deleetors in said tube, and division walls in said tube forming passages registering with the passages theol/ign Saul runner, substantially as described.

7. rlhe coinbilluution, with a :water wheel and itsV draft ,tube, of means withimfaiil draft tube for causing tl1e'\\'ater tol traverse a helical path of gradually increasing pitch after it leaves the runner.

8. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a, of deilccting surfaces disposed therein, said surfaces being so disposed helically with redrat tube and. a plurality i ingr the water discharged from each section 30 of the runner to traverse a helical path.

10. The combination with a Water wheel, of its draft tube provided with means for causing the water to How in a helical path after it leaves the ruimer.

Signed at Chicago, this 18th day of December, 1913.

WILLIAM M. WHITE.

Witnesses:

CIIAs. F. MURRAY, T. D. BUTLER.

35 Cook county, Illinois, 

